Iara Lee

Iara Lee, "a Brazilian of Korean descent, is an activist/filmmaker, co-founder of Caipirinha Foundation and Lee & Gund Foundation. Both foundations focus on global solidarity, cultural diversity and peace with justice.

"Iara is currently based in Iran, where she is working on a variety of arts & culture diplomacy projects, under the umbrella of CULTURES OF RESISTANCE, the overarching initiative she launched to collaborate with a multitude of organizations and changemakers around the world and to produce a series of shortfilms that promote conflict prevention and resolution, socio-environmental activism, political engagement. She is also active in North Korea where she supported the New York Philharmonic's unprecedented Feb 2008 concert, initiative designed to build trust and exchange. Iara is a trustee to the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), North Korea's first and only higher education institution whose faculty will be entirely composed of international scholars and academics.

"From 1984 to 1989 Iara was the producer of the Sao Paulo Int'l Film Festival. In 1989 she moved to New York City, where she founded the mixed-media company, Caipirinha Productions, to explore the synergy of different art forms (film, music, architecture, poetry). Under the umbrella of Caipirinha Productions, Iara directed short and feature-length documentaries (including Synthetic Pleasures, Modulations, Architettura, and Beneath the Borqa), released electronic music CDs, published books, and organized lectures, photo exhibits and fundraising events.

"Iara is a member of President's Council of The International Crisis Group/ICG and on the board of the Council of Advisors of National Geographic Society."


 * Director, Cultures of Resistance